Peter Parker and His Half-Blood Family
by Lisa-Sina-912
Summary: Based on the MCU. Series of one-shots in which Peter Parker and Harley Keener are both Tony Stark's biological sons and half-brothers. Refer to the first chapter Author's Note for more details [Will be updated randomly]
1. 01: I Guess We're Brothers

**A/N: I got stuck while working on my other chapter fics, so I just wrote this to refresh some thoughts but still keep myself writing. And also I got this idea of Harley and Peter being brothers stuck in my mind that I had to get that out so that I can fully concentrate on the other things. **

**So this is actually a series of one-shots based on an AU in which Peter and Harley are both Tony Stark's biological sons and thus are half-brothers. Harley Keener and Peter Parker friendship/brotherhood trope is my recent obsession, and I cannot help myself ;D **

**Since this is a series of one-shots, each chapter is a separate story and the chapters may or may not be connected to one another. So I've marked this as a complete story, but there will be random updates whenever I get new ideas or feel like writing it. :)**

**With that aside, I hope you enjoy the actual fic! :)**

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**Story 01: I Guess We're Brothers**

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Peter had always known who Tony Stark was. You might be thinking, 'who doesn't?' Tony Stark: a genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, hero, and one (if not only) of the most successful businessman in the world - you've heard it million times before. Everybody knows it. But to Peter, the owner of Stark Industries was one more thing.

Well, maybe 'know' is a bit of a strong word. It was more of a suspicion than anything. It was just one memory of one night. Looking back, it was probably never meant to happen. His mother never really intended for little Peter to hear her. It just happened when it slipped out one night when alcohol took control of her mind and body - and Peter just happened to be there, waiting for her to return after work, when she staggered her way into their small apartment. That was the one time that she mentioned the name Tony Stark in front of Peter. He was six at the time.

Although Peter couldn't really say that he knew right away then and there, Peter could later come down to his own conclusion. Like any other ones, the memory of that night had distorted a little, with small details having been erased, modified, and maybe added, too. Yet, the incident itself was clearly stuck to his mind for him to use his high-functioning brains and deduct the story that his mother failed to fully explain before the plane crash that took her life. That was when he was thirteen.

So yeah, Peter knew - or believed that there was a possibility - that Tony Stark was the one who helped his mother bring him to this world.

Would you like to know what his reaction was?

So what?

No, don't get this wrong. Because that is not directed to you. That was actually what he thought about the matter. _So what?_

Of course, it wasn't his first reaction. His very first and raw reaction was a series of questions popping up into his head. Just how did Tony Stark come into the picture? Did Tony Stark know that he existed? If he did, then did that mean that Tony Stark intentionally neglected and abandoned him? Questions after questions were the only things he could think of. Unfortunately, by the time he came to that point, Uncle Ben and Aunt May have also passed away and Peter was in his fourth foster home.

And questions were one of the most unnecessary things in surviving through foster homes (Peter always found this notion funny - why did he have to 'survive' a 'foster' environment?). Unrealistic dreams about some billionaire somehow being his father and showing up to save him from the constant beatings and verbal batterings of the supposed caregivers did not really help fill his ever-so-hungry belly or protect him from the whippings and yellings. There was no time to find answers or wonder about the unknown part of his history. Dreaming about it didn't change the fact that he was still stuck in the reality of being an orphan that moves from one house to another. No matter who his biological father was, it didn't change his own reality. It just didn't suddenly bring his 'father' to the front step and look for him out of nowhere. It was not supposed to.

Thus, Peter closed this particular case of his mysterious father with a _so what?_

So, maybe you can imagine just how much it shocked him when the man actually knocked on the door of the worn-down house filled with parent-less kids in the middle of their temporary guardians yelling at them about dissatisfactory chores. How it shocked a certain Peter Parker, all the kids, and the guardians all alike.

The foster father was slapping the children's faces for their apparently 'poor' job at cleaning the house. Peter had just had his turn of receiving a full blow to his cheek when there were a few knocks. The foster father let out a string of colorful swear words all the way toward the front door only to stop at the sight of Tony Stark, the man who was also widely known as Iron Man, standing there.

Everything was quite a messy blur from there. Long story short: A brief argument between the two men, a commotion among the curious and confused foster kids, a couple of very awkward individual meetings with Tony Stark, and a few lawsuits and charges against his foster parents later, Peter Parker officially became a son of Tony Stark.

Confused? Well, you're not the only one, as Peter himself couldn't really grasp what the heck was going on.

And what you see here now is a week later, Peter getting off a fancy black car with his eyes gaping at the shiny tower building that he could only barely imagine seeing on TV screen or internet. His backpack that surprisingly (and not so surprisingly at the same time) contains everything that he possessed from his former abode hangs behind his back. He is led by the driver - Tony had introduced him as Happy Hogan - and enters the tower. Peter cannot help the overwhelming sensation as he takes in the view of the luxurious features. He gulps down the heart that was beating so hard that it had jumped up all the way to his throat. He quickens his footsteps and follows Happy, who is heading straight for an elevator.

The elevator takes the two of them up to the penthouse floor. When Peter gets out of the metal box, Happy tells him to sit on the couch and wait for a moment. He then takes the elevator and disappears from the room. Peter watches the man leave before taking a deep breath as he looks around. The room is nothing like he had ever seen - at least not seen in person. One side of the room is not even a wall but a giant window that overlooks the city of Manhattan. The modern style navy blue couch doesn't require an expert perspective to tell its value. Even the paint of the simple white walls seems overly luxurious(and Peter can assume that it probably is). One side shows the kitchen and another side that was opposite from the elevator leads to rooms.

He suddenly feels so small as he stands there in his dirty ragged old clothes. He slowly walks over to the couch and awkwardly sits down, putting down his backpack on the floor. He straightens his back, fearing that he might dirty the expensive furniture somehow with his tattered t-shirt. He looks down at his hands and plays around with his fingers for a few minutes until he hears the elevator opening again and a young voice.

"Hey."

Peter nearly jumps up from where he was sitting as he turns to see the owner of the new voice. A teenage boy that seems to be about his own age is standing by the elevator.

Peter remembers Tony talking about his other son that was already living with him. Although he had not even seen a picture of the said kid, judging by the fact that he so freely and casually walked into the residence area, Peter concludes that the one standing before his eyes is his… brother. Half-brother.

"Hi."

Peter barely manages to show enough manners of returning the greeting. The boy looks at him with a face that shows no particular feelings or thoughts. Peter quietly returns the gaze. He is sure that he doesn't have any emotions written on his face, either. The boy looks at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Harley Keener," the boy says after a short while. "Seems like I'm your brother."

Harley. That was the name Peter heard from Tony.

"Peter Parker," Peter said. "Yeah, I guess I'm your brother."

Harley's face softens.

"I just said that, you know," he retorts but there is no trace of ill will in his voice.

"And what, you patented it?" Peter replies, and there may be a bit of unintended sass laced on his tone.

Harley has a small smirk creeping on his mouth.

"No, but it was a little redundant, don't you think?"

Peter simply shrugs a little.

"Well, there was nothing else to say, really. I was just trying to fill that uncomfortably awkward silence."

Harley has a full smirk on his face at this point. He snorts out a short laugh.

"Yeah. This is getting awkward," he says. "This small talk bullshit is lame."

Peter doesn't know what to say to it, hence stays quiet. Harley doesn't seem to mind the lack of response, for he continues nonchalantly as he walks to the couch and plumps freely on it, half lying rather than sitting.

"I hear you're what, fourteen?"

Peter watches him in his awkward standing position before slowly sitting down again. He makes sure that his body stays upright so that he does not make any unnecessary mess. He thinks he sees Harley looking at him quite intently. He tries to dismiss the thought as he answers Harley's question.

"Yeah. yeah, I'm fourteen."

"Well, I'm fifteen. That makes me the older one." Harley smirks.

Peter ponders on the meaning behind his words. He studies his face and wonders if Harley is looking for a chance to take advantage of his older age against him. Harley seems smug and rather light-hearted, but Peter knows better than to trust a person based on their outward demeanor. If it is the case that Harley will be more of a bully kind of a brother, he needs to be ready for whatever is to come.

There is a brief silence that fills the room as the two teens sit there. Peter is in his own thoughts as he tries to assess the kind of person Harley is, and Harley doesn't say anything, either. After a few-minutes-long of quietness, Harley breaks it.

"I ain't bite, you know."

Peter snaps out of his thoughts.

"What?"

There is a small smirk on Harley's face - the kind that adds smugness but holds more of an understanding than offence.

"No need to be all defensive and everything, is all I'm saying," he says.

Peter becomes uneasy.

"I wasn't defensive," he says - defensively, one might add.

Harley snorts.

"Nice try. Except, it wasn't."

Peter knows that he's been seen through, so he just purses his lips tightly. Harley laughs a little. He straightens up his posture.

"If you'd rather be alone, I can just show you your room and leave you to whatever secret guily pleasure you have, just say the word." he says.

Harley looks to Peter as if he awaits his answer. But Peter can give none as he himself cannot really tell if he truly wants to be left alone. And the mere notion of having a choice is unfamiliar and strange to him.

When Peter remains speechless, Harley shrugs his shoulders.

"Well, whatever you do, it's on you, dude, not me," he says. "If Dad thinks you're left alone, he's gonna nag me all week about it."

Dad. Among all the words that pass through his ears, Peter picks up on that one particular word. It rings in his ears with an odd echo. He tries to say the word himself silently inside his mouth, but the tongue suddenly feels out of control as it refuses to form the word.

"I tried, okay? For the record, I did-"

"You call him 'Dad'?"

Peter wasn't really listening to Harley and cuts his words off when he blurts out his question. Harley stops talking and looks at Peter with a mixture of surprise and… amusement?

"Duh. He is my dad," Harley answers. "And yours too, I guess."

Peter suddenly feels a lump crawling up his throat. He feels nauseous. Dad. He now has a dad. That was just pure insanity of an idea, right there.

"It feels weird, I know," he hears.

Peter gives him a questioning look. Harley has a knowing look on his front.

"You know what they say; 'takes one to know one'," he says. "Been there, done that, all that shit."

Peter swallows hard. He turns his eyes away as he looks down at his hands. They are fidgeting from his entire nerve system being jittery. He still refuses to meet Harley's eyes as he directs his words to him.

"When did you first know?" He asks. "That he's your… you know."

He hears Harley hum shortly as he probably thinks back on his memory.

"About two years ago," says Harly. There's a bit of laughter mixed in his words. "It's really funny because he actually popped up in my old garage back home in Tennessee."

Peter looks up to really listen to his story. Harley has a full smirk on his face as he seemingly reminisces on the event.

"You remember the whole Mandarin thing and Dad, like, openly threatening him and everything? His Malibu home got destroyed and all that?"

Peter simply nods quietly.

"Right after that, he just turned up in Tennessee, for some reason, and chose my house to break in. It was like in the middle of the night and I woke up from that sound. Mom was out for work so I went to check what it was and just found Tony Stark standing in my fucking garage." Harley pauses for a moment before adding, "I shot my potato gun at him."

Peter raises an eyebrow at the revelation. Harley smirks at his reaction.

"Long story short, I helped him figure out what he was looking for," he says. "I tried to tag along, but he just ditched me in the middle of the street and drove off."

Harley finishes the sentence in a clearly sarcastic manner and with an overdramatic shrug.

"You know, it's really ironic, because I actually said that we're connected or something to him. When I tried to go with him. Of course I didn't know who he was back then."

Peter quietly listens. Harley lets out a short laugh as he continues.

"Then it turns out that he's actually my biological dad?" He says. "That's just pure crazy, dude, right? I mean, he didn't know who I was, I didn't know who he was. And then he's just magically in my house by coincidence?"

Harley stops himself to take a moment. Peter sees that he is probably a little lost in his own thoughts. There is a rather nostalgic smile on his face. Peter just waits for him to return and continue.

"I didn't tell Mom that I'd met him," Harley finally says after taking a few more seconds. "At first, at least. She was busy anyways, and it's not like I could sit down and have a real chat with her. But then, she soon found out because Dad left stuffs in my garage. Robots and computers and things like that. He basically reformed the entire garage with fancy new techs. Even for Mom that knew absolutely nothing about machines or technologies, she had to know.

"She asked me. And I told her. Told her that it was Tony Stark. I think Mom thought that Dad had somehow found out that I was his kid and came to me because of it. So she talked to him, Dad found out that I had his blood in me. It was a total chaos for a while, with everyone just trying to figure out just what the fuck was going on."

Harley chuckles. Peter, on the other hand, remains still. Harley takes a quick look at Peter before he keeps talking.

"Dad asked me if I wanted to come live with him. He actually asked my whole family to come, but Mom refused. She has her pride. She didn't even want to take the money Dad was offering. Because of that, I said no at first. Didn't want to leave my sister all by herself when Mom went to work, and with there being no male in the house… It felt unfair for me to just leave them for a rich as filth father, too."

"But I think a part of me still wanted this. Not the money part, but the Dad part, you know? To have an actual father that even knows about what I like to do, that can teach me in that area." He pauses momentarily before adding the next words in a lower tone. "Someone who is willing to support me."

Peter assumes that Harley has some issues with a father figure. Then again, it's probably not that surprising and very natural considering that both of them were sons of Tony Stark that met him only years after they came into existence.

"God, that got sappy," Harley grunts. Peter watches him relax on the couch, leaning more backward like he did when he first sat down. Peter wonders what it meant for his family with Harley eventually leaving them. He wonders if he should be asking such private matters, but decides to try it.

"Uhm," he began cautiously. "What happened? To your mom and your sister, I mean?"

Harley looks at Peter and blinks before he straightened up a little.

"Oh, Mom met a new guy," he said. "They're living together in Tennessee. I am kinda worried that he might turn out to be another son of a bitch. Judging by the history of her men, I'm not fully convinced. But she's insistent and seems happy. For now. And Phoebe made her choice to stay with Mom. She was intimidated by Dad."

Peter simply nods at his answer. Peter can see another silence creeping up as he has no words to say. He could presume that Harley was done telling his history as well.

"Well, I'm tired of all the talking," Harley says. "Now you talk."

Peter flinches a little.

"Me?"

Harley rolls his eyes.

"No, the couch you're sitting on," he says. "Yes, you. What's your story?"

Peter looks down and just entangle his fingers with one another.

"Well, I thought you'd already know," he begins slowly. "I was in my foster home. Mr. Stark just turns up at the door and says he's my… biological father."

"Yeah. I heard that part," Harley huffs. "So you never knew about him until he came to find you?"

Peter shrugs.

"I don't know, I mean…" he says. "I think I kind of suspected? I mean, I just thought that maybe he could be my father. Maybe not."

Harley frowns and seems more engaged in Peter's story.

"How?"

Peter fidgets as the memory squeezes through into his brains. It was something from a very long past, probably one of the very few earliest memories. He tries his best to be as casual with his voice.

"My mom was drunk one night. She said something about Tony Stark. It kind of stuck to me because that was like the only time she was ever drunk in front of me. And that was the first time I heard her say another guy's name that was not about my dad. Well, he wasn't my dad, he was just her husband. She just told me his stories as 'dad stories'."

Harley remains silent but his demeanor urges Peter to continue.

"I didn't really know what it all meant at the time, I think. Or maybe I did at least notice something odd about 'my dad'. But then, Uncle Ben and Aunt May were always like my real relatives, so I guess I really didn't think much about it. They even took me in when my mom died. Until they died when our apartment building caught on fire."

"Shit," is Harley's reaction. Peter lets out a small laugh.

"Then it was just me moving around foster homes."

Peter simply concludes his life story. Really, there is not much for him to say about it. Harley eyes him for a moment. Maybe he expects Peter has something more to say. When he gets none, he decides to get it out himself.

"If you had a suspicion, why didn't you bring it to him?" Harly asks.

Peter gives him a skeptical look.

"How would a kid from the poorest part of Queens have a way to confront Tony Stark?" He retorts. "It's not like I had a solid reason or evidence to confirm it in the first place. My mom and both Uncle Ben and Aunt May were probably the only people who knew the full story, and they were gone. I just couldn't bang on his door claiming that I'm his son."

Harley doesn't show any visible reaction, but Peter can see that he saw his point.

"And I thought he didn't want me," Peter continues. "He was never a part of my life. No one even mentioned him. I thought that even if I was actually his, he probably didn't even know that I existed or he just simply didn't want a kid. Why would I reach out to him, then? I had more pressing matters at hand. I didn't really think that much about it."

When Peter is done talking, Harley quietly shakes his head a few times.

"Dude, we're messed up," he says. "Our lives are just messed up."

Peter's lack of response was enough to express his agreement. Having too focused on the conversation and the weight of it, he forgets how cautious he had been and just lets himself relax and lean tiredly on the back of the couch. As expensive as it looks, it is quite comfy.

"Well, you were wrong about one thing," he hears. Peter looks at Harley. "I don't think he doesn't want you. He actually searched for you and took you here."

"It's not like I hold a grudge against him or anything," Peter replies. "I really had no particular feelings about it. It's just that…"

Peter stops to think for a moment. What was it, then? So much has been going on that he could not really form a word to incorporate his exact thoughts. Raw, formless thoughts lingered in his mind.

"I guess it's just weird," he finally says. "That I have a… father now. Out of nowhere. I just… I never had a dad in my life. I've never used that word on anyone."

"Yeah, I figured," says Harley.

The two of them spend a good minute as each of them deal with the aftermath of the confessions. Come to think of it, Peter is actually surprised how easily he had just talked about all the things he had been trying to avoid discussing. Once he began, everything just came out before he could even stop himself. Was it because of Harley? Because he began this whole thing himself? Then he realizes how easily Harley had broken the shell that Peter had been holding onto for so long.

How was he doing it?

As if Harley knew that Peter is thinking about him, he suddenly stands up.

"Come on," he says. "Dad said he'll be in a meeting until three or something. I'll show you around before he comes back."

Peter nods once before standing up himself and picking up his backpack by his feet. He follows as Harley walks away from the couch area toward deeper into the residence. Before they move five steps, Peter decides to voice his thoughts.

"How are you taking this so easily?" Says Peter.

Harley raises his eyebrows in question.

"This whole… brother thing," Peter adds.

'You mean how can I take the fact that I have a total stranger as a new brother so easily?" Harley says - quite casually, too.

"I guess that's a way to put it."

Harley simply shrugs.

"Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if someone else just turns up claiming to be Dad's kid," he says. "I mean, you know what he was like. He was a publicly known playboy. I'm pretty sure we might not be the only ones."

Peter blinks. Then again, he can't help agreeing to it.

"And like I said, I have a sister. Another younger sibling is not going to be a problem," Harley says. "That is, as long as you're not a complete asshole."

Peter laughs softly at his remark. He grins a little as he says, "Well, I can't really promise anything about that."

Harley snorts.

"Considering Dad's genes, you are probably one," he says.

The two of them stop in front of a closed door.

"This is yours," Harley says as he stands next to it and crosses his arms over his chest. He points to another that is placed on the opposite side of the path in a diagonal position from that of Peter's with his head. "That's mine."

Peter looks at the door that is supposed to lead him into his new room. He slowly reaches a hand out to the door knob. Just as his hand touched and grabbed on it, Harley grabs his attention.

"Get in there, get your stuffs sorted out," he says. "Meet me out there in the living room when you're ready. We could have a tour of other floors, see a movie, play games, whatever you want."

He then walks off over to his own room, leaving Peter alone. Peter takes a deep breath and opens the door.

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**A/N: Sorry if Harley (or Peter) is out of character. Since they're Tony's kids, I added some Stark snark touches to them. And also I haven't watched _Iron Man 3_ in a long time, and I wrote Harley mostly based on what I remember. Also, I wanted him to be a good brother to Peter because always, Peter is always my lil cinnamon roll!**

**Always, thank you so much for reading my fiction! I love hearing what you have to say about it, so feel free to leave comments and reviews! :)**

**I hope you all have a great day!**

**Best, Lisa :)**


	2. 02: I Told You We're Brothers

**A/N:**** Hi... Long time no upload... Again... ( ._.)**

**It feels like I'm always apologizing for taking so long with my update... And I'm fully aware that I cannot say it /**

**My life (and my laziness) just does not let me write in peace... as always... Now that I really, REALLY have some time at hand (I'm taking a break from my college and done with all the other projects and part-time jobs for now), I'm on a writing streak, so I'll speed up and try to catch up quickly.**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoy this as much as I did conceiving and writing it!**

**(Just a small sidenote: I apologize beforehand for some possible out-of-character elements for the characters. I've already mentioned in the previous story, but since they're Tony's kids, I added some Stark snark touches to them. And I thought that Peter most likely has been affected by the dark past that I've given him in this series. Thus, he may come across as being a little closed-up, defensive, and a little depressed.)**

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**Story 02: I Told You We're Brothers**

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Harley is not a little kid. He's not in the age range in which a child would eagerly anticipate or ask for a sibling. He already had one - a sister he would do anything to protect. He never thought about having a brother. He may have wanted one at some point in his life, but by now he was way over it.

So, he wasn't that excited when he first heard that he now has a brother as well. That doesn't mean that he was against it, either. He just accepted it - took it as a fact more than anything. There were no negative feelings as much as there were no particularly positive ones. Having a sibling was just that; having a sibling.

He was willing to be a brother to someone new (if not a good one). He was willing to try. The only remaining question was whether the new kid was, too.

Harley has to admit that he is a little disappointed. Peter seemed like an okay human being. Yet, during the few days after Peter moved in, Harley hardly ever interacted with him. On the first day, he showed Peter around the tower. The two of them and Tony had meals together every morning and evening. Peter used the room right across from his, and they ran into each other practically every single day. Still, those little encounters never evolved into an actual conversation. Peter stayed quiet while he ate his food. He even tried to skip breakfast for the first two days until Tony practically forced him to eat. When Harley introduced each part of the tower to him and asked some casual questions, all Peter gave were short simple answers. During the daytime, Peter had a part-time job. When he was not working at God-knows-what-place, he spent most of his time in his room.

Harley tries to understand. He knows that Peter has had a hard life. He sees why he is so defensive.

Still, he cannot help feeling disappointed. A relationship involves both sides - without the participation of the other, one can never build a connection. Harley was willing to make one with Peter; he just wasn't sure if Peter was as well.

Harley now walks through the street with a pair of earphones plugged into his ears. It's quite early in the afternoon, right after lunchtime. Peter left earlier for his part-time job and Tony is trapped in the board meeting, which means Harley is left to spend the day alone. He initially considered tinkering in the lab but concluded that he was not feeling it. That is why he decided to wander around the city instead.

He took a random bus and got off at a random stop. It was quite an unfamiliar part of the city. The street signs told him that he is in Queens.

Looking around, Harley starts to stroll, letting his feet take him wherever they can. Unlike Manhattan, Queens is relatively a quiet town. Of course, like any other part of New York, it doesn't seem to lack the overwhelming number of cars and terrible traffic manners. Still, the streets are not as busy as those in the central part of New York and the buildings are much lower, given that most of them are for residence usage than business purposes.

Quiet means peace, but it also means boredom - and it was not a surprise that Harley loses interest sooner than later. No matter how many streets he walks and how many buildings he passes by, everything looks the same. By the time he reaches the fourth block from where the bus dropped him off, he thinks he can use a cup of coffee and some fries. Thus, from the fifth one, he casually starts searching for a small diner or a burger place. He walks past a deli called Delmar's and passes by a Thai restaurant. It takes him a little longer than he anticipated until he finds a small and cheap-looking diner on the corner of a building.

Sal's Easy Diner, the sign reads.

The neon is brightly lit into the letters "open" through the glass on the door. The dirt-stained windows are hard to look through, but you can still see some silhouettes of people eating and moving around. The clock marks around 2 o'clock so there aren't that many customers inside.

Harley doesn't give a second thought as he pulls the door open and walks in. He looks around and finds an empty booth-type table. He walks over and plops down on the seat and waits no time to pick up the menu and look through the list of food. A person - presumably a waiter - comes to stand by the table. Harley knows by the brushing of the clothes on the figure that he sees through the corner of his eyes. His gaze still on the menu, he hears a young male voice, which is muffled by the music coming out of the earphones.

"Hi, welcome to Sal's. Would you like to order?"

The voice is more or less stiff and robotic, lacking energy - just like any tired or unwilling worker would sound. It wasn't that uncommon for a young, probably a part-time worker not to have a strong enthusiasm about what they do, so Harley doesn't bother to care. He doesn't look up at the waiter as he answers.

"I'd like one fries with chili sauce and a coffee."

He only turns his eyes upward at the last moment. He freezes when he sees the face of the worker.

There stands a young teenage boy - a year younger than Harley, to be exact - in a light blue shirt and a dark brown apron that are undoubtedly the uniform. He has a name tag on the left side of his chest. It reads Peter.

Peter scribbles the order on the notepad and looks at Harley with an awkward expression on his face. He is looking at Harley's direction but refuses to meet his eyes.

"Would that be all?" He says, and Harley thinks there's a sigh mixed into the words.

Harley wonders for a short moment if he should acknowledge him. When there's no response from him, Peter bites his lips and taps the notepad in his hand with his pen and gives an awkward "Okay" before hesitantly backing off.

"I'll... I'll get you your food, then," he says before walking away to the counter.

Harley watches Peter the whole time as he talks to the cook in the kitchen. Peter, clearly aware of Harley's presence, deliberately tries not to look his way. Instead, he keeps himself busy with unnecessary and petty tasks such as restacking a pile of napkins or wiping the same spot on the counter with a dishcloth.

This is in no way the kind of situation that Harley expected to find himself in. He is sure that it makes him as equally awkward and surprised as Peter must feel. And even though he only spent a few days with the boy, he knows how Peter wants to keep this part of his life private, considering how he never talked about it to either Harley or Tony. That is why Harley just decides to sit there quietly and wait for his order to be served.

Still, it makes him uncomfortable and even a little upset (not by a lot, just slightly) that Peter is so openly avoiding him. He looks at Peter for a few more seconds before sighing to himself and picking up his phone to browse at just about anything other than his distant half brother.

But it is only a few seconds later that Peter returns with a small coffee cup and a half-full coffee pot respectively held in his hands. He places the cup down on the table right in front of Harley and pours the black liquid into it. Harley fixes his gaze on coffee.

"Thanks," he says when Peter is done.

There's a short silence before Peter responds with, "No problem."

Then Peter walks off again. Harley once again looks at the back of the teenager. He completely forgets the initial reason he walked into this place and ignores the coffee. He watches Peter return the coffee pot to its original spot. Peter spares a glimpse toward Harley and their eyes meet briefly until he looks away. Harley, however, doesn't.

A middle-aged man comes out of the door behind the counter. A momentary sight through the crack tells Harley that there seems to be a small office in there. He looks grumpy. Peter immediately turns his eyes lower as if to avoid him. It apparently does not work when the man snaps his head toward Peter.

"What's that?" Harley hears the man's grunting voice.

Peter looks at the man.

"I didn't do anything," he says.

"You fucking sighed," the man says. He stomped over to Peter and grabbed him by the collar. "I told you to not fucking sigh. And why are you not working? You expect me to pay you when you're just hanging around?"

Harley frowns at the exchange. Peter says nothing and quietly waits for the man to finish. Although Harley cannot see his expressions, Peter seems to be used to this kind of situation.

"I was just waiting for the fries the customer ordered."

At Peter's words, the man gives a short glance at Harley. Harley keeps watching the man so the man knows that Harley is and has been watching the whole conversation. He lets go of Peter.

"Well, get a mop and clean the floor or something," he grunted lowly.

The man then slowly back into the office. Peter awkwardly sighs. He seems to be struggling against checking at Harley. Then there comes a loud call coming out of the kitchen that the fries are ready. Peter walks up to the kitchen window and picks up a small plastic basket filled with cooked potatoes and returned to Harley's table.

Harley has not taken his eyes off Peter and watches him approach him. Peter looks highly uncomfortable under the gaze as he keeps his eyes cast downward, away from Harley's. He puts down the fries on the table.

"Enjoy your food," he says hastily and tries to walk off.

"Hey," Harley calls. It is more of an instinctive move than a well-planned, thought-out action.

Peter stops in his tracks but does not turn to look at Harley. And Harley himself does not know what to say, either. Peter quickly glimpses at the closed office door where the manager just had gone into. Then he turns around halfway, still refusing to face Harley.

"Do you need anything?" He asks.

Harley stalls. Frankly, he doesn't know why he stopped Peter in the first place. But at the same time, he doesn't want to miss the chance to talk to the other teen. Thus, he decides to go along with his instincts.

"When do you finish?" He asks.

Peter doesn't answer immediately but does say, "Not in at least two to three hours."

He tries to walk away once again. Harley hesitates between stopping him and just letting him get back to his work. He is still not sure if there's any room for his intervention. Still, when Peter does take a step, Harley cannot stop himself.

"Should I... you know... I mean, would you like to head back together?" He says, very awkwardly, one might add.

Peter stares at Harley. The long silent look he gives is enough to alert Harley that it made the situation weird. Harley truly wants to smack himself in the head.

"Fuck, that was weird," he mutters.

"Yeah," Peter answers. He constantly takes side glances at the closed office door. That is when Harley realizes that muffled yells and crashes are coming out of it. And Peter flinches and looks highly alerted at every noise. He quickly adds, "And no. Just... I think it would be better for you to go. Soon."

Harley sees how Peter is constantly aware of the manager's presence. Still, he feels a little offended. The instant thought that comes to his mind is if Peter is that much against being associated with him. Harley doesn't understand why, though; as aforementioned, there is just no reason for him to anticipate or expect anything from Peter. Peter must be unaware of it, for he continues talking.

"Look, I... I need to go. I... I'm not supposed to be... doing... this."

Then he once again averts his eye and walks away.

Harley feels his mood spiraling down. He looks down at the food before his eyes. The steam is coming off from the freshly fried potatoes and the coffee is still warm, if not hot. Yet, Harley had completely lost his appetite.

He once again looks at Peter. Even though Peter made it clear that he doesn't want Harley getting involved, Harley knows for a fact that he cannot take off his attention as long as he is sitting in the diner. And, of course, the biggest reason is that the manager doesn't seem so good.

And it is proven quite soon. Just as Harley attempts to dig in, the office door once again opens and the manager walks out. It seems that he was in a very bad mood as he looks around the dining hall. Peter hurriedly heads to the corner behind the counter and grabs the mop that has been leaning against the wall. But that proves not to be fast enough.

"You useless idiot. I told you to mop the floor ages ago!" The man says.

Peter doesn't answer. Instead, he quietly moves to do as he is told as if he had heard nothing. Harley can see that it was a part of his daily routine and that Peter is way used to it.

The manager then moves toward the cashier and checks the cash box. He then lets out a loud, irritated sigh.

Peter quietly continues to clean the floor. He repeatedly looks between his work and the man; Harley picks up that he probably has something on his mind that he is pondering of spitting out. Unfortunately, the grumpy manager notices it.

"What are you looking at?" The man shouts irritated.

Peter quickly turns his eyes downward. And Harley keeps his eyes sharply on the exchange.

The man resumes doing his work related to the cashier. Peter keeps wiping the floor with the mop. Things seem to quiet down for a moment. That is until Peter slowly stops his movement and turns toward the manager.

"Mr. Mason?" He calls.

The manager doesn't even bother to look or respond. It is as if he intends to completely ignore the boy. Peter continues anyways.

"Mr. Mason, I was wondering-"

"I told you I'll give you the money later!" Mason shouted angrily. As he did so, he also simultaneously crumpled up what seemed like receipt papers and threw them in Peter's direction. Peter flinches and avoids being hit but says nothing. Harley barely manages to stop himself from springing up in his seat.

"I wasn't talking about that," Peter says, briefly glimpsing at Harley.

Mason grits his teeth and glares at Peter.

"Then shut the fuck up and make yourself useful."

Peter bites his lips. He sighs as he returns to mopping the floor. That enrages Mason.

"You dare sigh again?" He snaps.

Peter remains silent. The manager walks around the counter and stands right in front of Peter. He menacingly overshadows the boy. He then slaps Peter hard on the head. That is when Harley knows for sure that he needs to intervene. So he stands up from his seat, leaving his untouched food behind and marches toward the two.

Meanwhile, Mason has Peter grabbed in his hand by the hair.

"You think you're so smart, huh?" He growls.

Peter doesn't resist. He looks so done with the situation and very used to it.

"Hey!"

The sudden shout from Harley attracts the attention of both Mason and Peter.

"Let him go or I call the police instantly," Harley says. He glares at the older man while holding up his phone in his hand.

Mason still has a frown deeply etched on his face as he looks from Peter to Harley, but unties his fingers from the boy's hair. He looks around as if he has the decency to be embarrassed before locking his gaze on Harley.

"Hey, kid," Mason growls. "This is none of your business. Just back the hell off."

Harley looks at Peter, who is looking at Harley and signaling him to back off. Unfortunately for Peter, Harley does not give up easily on what he sets his mind on.

So instead of leaving the place as Peter begs him to, he scoffs in the face of the manager.

"This is very much my business. He's my brother." Harley spits. He then turns to Peter and says, "Come on, we're leaving."

"What are you doing?" Peter asks, with a little trace of irritation in his voice.

Now it's the manager's turn to scoff.

"Brother my ass," he mocks. "Just another foster kid living in the same house, huh? Look, kid, this is your last chance of getting out of here unharmed."

"And this is your last chance to save this sorry-ass shithole you call a 'diner'," Harley counters. "Believe me, you don't wanna mess with me. Or him."

"Or what? What can an orphan brat do?"

Harley looks at the man with a dangerous glare.

"So that's what this is about?" He says. "You're abusing him just because he's an orphan and powerless?"

Mason snaps. "Like I said, it is none of your business how I deal with an arrogant, useless employee in my diner."

"Jesus, you're stupid, aren't you?" Harley sighs mockingly. "I just told you otherwise less than a minute ago. I really don't wanna waste my energy and time repeating the same thing over and over again, but I'll tell you something for the sake of your intelligence. For one, it is absolutely wrong to treat an underage employee in 'your way' regardless of their background. Two, he's not an orphan, and neither am I. And you really don't wanna mess with either of us."

When Mason tries to refute, Harley cuts him off by turning toward Peter.

"Come on, get your stuff. We're leaving," he says.

When Peter doesn't move, Harley grabs him by the arm and pulls him away through the door.

"If you don't want to get your things, then we're just leaving without 'em," says Harley.

Peter sighs and pulls his arm out of Harley's grasp.

"If you want to go, then just go by yourself," Peter says.

"No. I'm not going without you. You're leaving," Harley insists.

"That's not the decision you're supposed to make," Peter retorts sharply.

Harley just looks at Peter for a second before grabbing his arm again. Then he pulled him toward the front door of the place.

"You little brat! Pay for the fucking food!" Mason says.

Harley stops. He turns around and glares at the man. He passes by Peter to walk up to him and takes out his wallet out of the back pocket of his jeans. He pulls a 50 dollar bill from it and slams it down on the surface of the counter.

"Here. Happy now?" He growls at Mason. "This should cover that crap you call food."

He then walks back to Peter and pulls him out through the door and onto the street. Once they are out and the door closes, Peter shakes Harley's hand off his arm. Harley turns around and faces him. Peter sighs exasperatedly.

"What are you doing?" He asks.

"Quitting that shitty job for you," Harley says.

"Well, who gives you the right to do that?" Peter shots back.

Harley glares at him without answering. Peter takes a deep breath as if to calm himself down.

"How did you find me?" He asks. "Are you spying on me or something?"

Harley is also getting more and more irritated. He decides that he is done trying to understand his new brother. It is about time he confronted him rather than wait for him.

"I didn't," he snaps at Peter. "I didn't even know you were working here."

Peter's eyes narrow. He doesn't seem to believe him but does not voice it out. Harley scoffs.

"Dude, I may be an awkward nerd, but I'm not a friggin' stalker," he says. "I've got better things to do than to follow you around."

Peter looks away. Harley doesn't wait.

"You don't have to work at this shitty place anymore, dude," he says. "No, you know what? You don't have to work, period. Why are you so keen on keep working here?"

Peter remains speechless. When the silence lasts for longer than Harley anticipated, he continues.

"If you want to work, fine. That's your choice to make. But find somewhere decent. You're not working at some low place where you're not respected or treated as you should be. Not anymore."

"It's not like I had any choice," Peter suddenly jumps in. This makes Harley shut his mouth. Peter sighs and goes on. "This was the only place that hired me. It was the only way for me to prepare for when I finally get out of foster care."

Harley chooses to listen than talk. Peter doesn't seem like he is done, so Harley waits for him to spill out everything he needs to. But he doesn't.

So Harley speaks up.

"Look, if you're not comfortable talking to me, then fine. I won't bother you. But you and I are a part of the same family, whether you like it or not. We live in the same place and share the same things. And as long as I know you exist, I won't be able to not care."

Peter breathes. He licks his lips and bites them. The way he jitters show that he is nervous.

"It's just... I'm just not used to this kind of thing," he finally says. "It was always about me taking care of myself. No one looked out for me. And this whole concept of having a brother, a sibling is... it's just... awkward. Everything is."

Harley takes a deep breath. He can see that Peter is not good at showing emotions or having an honest conversation, and frankly, it was not Harley's specialty, either. Thus, he carefully thinks about what to say and fights the urge to stop himself as he forms the words.

"I... I get it. It's awkward. It's unfamiliar," he says. "But you gotta try, dude."

There's an awkward silence between the two. Harley, in an attempt to replace the discomfort, adds in a forced casual voice.

"By the looks of how you were to doing in there, it doesn't really seem like you were 'taking care of yourself'."

Peter scoffs humorlessly.

"You don't want to keep working there, do you?" Harley asks.

Peter takes a moment but eventually shakes his head.

"Well, you're quitting," Harley declares.

Peter lets out a long breath.

"And I'll never get that two-months worth of pay now," he mutters.

Harley snaps his head to look at him.

"He didn't even pay you?" He repeats, surprised. "That's it, you are definitely not going back in there."

"Well, I'm going back in," Peter retorts. When Harley frowns at him, he adds, "I'm not leaving without my stuff."

Harley watches Peter open the door and go back inside. He can see Mason approaching Peter, and Peter stops momentarily. It seems like Peter has said something. Then he starts to walk. Mason keeps saying something to him but Peter seemingly ignores him completely as he goes into the back of the counter and pulls out his backpack. He then places the name tag off of his shirt and on the counter. Still ignoring the manager, Peter comes back outside.

"I quit," he says. "Officially."

Harley nods and the two of them begin to walk toward the bus stop. No words are spoken and the air between them is rigid and awkward. Harley clears his throat.

"Should I just call Happy? I'm pretty sure Happy can come pick us up," he says.

Peter snorts in response.

"Are you always this spoiled?"

Harley simply shrugs.

"You do realize that you're now living in one of the richest families on Earth?"

"Doesn't mean that you have to constantly brag about it or waste it. And Happy is Tony's driver, not ours."

"I'm just utilizing what I have. Not doing so is the true waste."

Peter snorts once again.

"Just shut up and walk."

"I am walking."

Then another silence follows. By the time the two of them pass a full block without sharing any words, Peter chooses to break it.

"Hey," he says quietly.

Harley hums in response.

"You really didn't know that I was here?" Peter asks.

Harley gives a humorless laugh.

"Do you really take me as the kind of guy to go chasing after you when knowing that that would be the exact thing to make you mad?"

Peter doesn't answer. Another thirty seconds pass in silence.

"Thanks," Peter then says abruptly and awkwardly. "For... you know, sticking up for me."

Harley scoffs.

"Yeah, well," he says, "I told you we're brothers now, dude."

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**A/N: Always, thank you so very much for reading this! I love hearing what you thought or what you want to say about it. Please, feel free to leave comments, kudos, and reviews!**

**Wherever you are, I hope you all have a great day!**


	3. 03: New Kid in the Hall

**A/N: ...**

**Helloooo... It's been quite a while... Again...**

**I'm learning that it becomes harder and harder for me to write. I really need to get my life sorted out if I'm to catch up on all the things that I have planned regarding this hobby of mine.. :\**

**Anyways, I hope everyone is doing okay in this hard times... Luckily I have been free from the effect of COVID 19. I hope that this short story can provide you with some sort of entertainment.**

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**Story 03: New Kid in the Hall**

* * *

Like father like son. This phrase is probably one of those that are used the most often to describe the Stark boys. But you have to admit that it can never be overused when it comes to the Starks.

There are many hints and traces of Tony Stark's apparently superior genes that his offspring had inherited. Putting aside all the infinite number of minor ones - such as the unhealthy habit of staying up until late, the sassy snarks that always laced their voices, or their despise toward carrots - one that shone the most was their high intelligence without a doubt. Tony Stark was one of the greatest geniuses of the century, if not the entirety of modern history. Harley Keener Stark was an engineer by nature. His potato gun series had long been the talk of the Stark family. And it didn't take long for Peter's level of intellect to come to the spotlight.

Peter had always had a fairly high interest and comprehension in science and related fields. Of course, his grades were all high in the overall range. It was just that he had an especially exceptional achievement in his education in science to the level of the public school curriculum not being able to cover it anymore. The only reason that he was attending an ordinary high school was that his foster parents just didn't care enough to provide adequate support.

Thus, it wasn't surprising in any way when Peter spent most of his time in the lab area than any other part of the tower after moving in. There were many, many perks of having a billionaire superhero as father and guardian, such as no longer having to survive with minimal food in a growing teenage body, having a much softer bed with better quality pillow and cover, and being able to quit a crappy part-time job. Yet, the most exciting thing for Peter is now having a lab he could easily access whenever he wanted to. It was like he had found a playground that he never even imagined he needed.

Now that he was done working a diner job, he had a whole day to himself - and the lab was an easy choice for him to use all the time he now has. In fact, if he was not sleeping or having meals, he could be found more often than not in a far inner corner of the workshop, quietly working on something while listening to music through his headphones.

"Even I can't stay in there that long," Harley said. He was sitting on the couch in the living area with his phone in his hands.

Peter was just walking out of the elevator, heading for the kitchen for a brief snack. He gave a shrug as he kept walking into the kitchen. It didn't take more than a few seconds for him to find a pack of Pringles and return to where Harley was playing his mobile game.

"How can you stay put in there for a whole day?" Harley said without looking at him after Peter plopped down on the other side of the couch.

Peter shrugged his shoulder once again as he opened the lid to the long can and poured out a couple of chips into his hand.

Harley was by then used to how "talkative" Peter is and thus didn't deem the lack of a verbal answer as a problem.

"What'cha working on in there?" He asked.

Peter was munching on the potato chips. As he did so, he seemed to be thinking about how he should answer.

"Just... stuff," he said.

Harley huffed. There was a hint of annoyance in his tone. Peter could see what was about to follow, so he added on.

"I don't really have something specific in mind. I'm just trying out different stuff."

He put another piece of his snack in his mouth and chewed.

"Like, trying out some of the equipment and system and... you know."

It was still not the amount of clarity that Harley was looking for, but he just let it go and didn't push further. Compared to the first few weeks, Peter was, surprisingly, starting to open up to him, albeit slowly.

For a moment, only the sound of Harley tapping on the screen of his phone and of Peter eating his snack filled the large space of the penthouse.

"Hey," Harley said, seemingly still immersed in the gameplay.

"Hmm?" Peter responded with his mouth full.

"Get me the cheddar cheese flavored one, will you?"

Peter snorted.

"Get it yourself."

"I'm kinda busy, as you can see," Harley retorted.

"Riiiiiight," Peter dragged on dryly. He then started munching more loudly as if to annoy him purposefully.

"You little asshole," Harley spat.

"Who're you calling asshole? You're the one that's too lazy to move your ass yourself."

"Looks like somebody's swear jar will be full soon."

A new voice joined the discussion as Tony walked out of the elevator. He looked from one boy to another in acknowledgment.

"Luckily, we don't have a swear jar," Peter said.

"And we all know which one of us three will be filling it the most quickly," Harley deadpanned.

"Alright, you disrespectful smartasses," Tony said with a scoff. "What you boys been up to?"

"Trying to conquer whatever fake dynasties he's in," Peter answered.

"And you've been cooped up in the lab like you've got no life. Again," Harley threw at him. That was when he finally put away his phone and looked up.

"Well, you had me quit my job, so I got you to thank for that," Peter said.

Harley snorted. He reached out and grabbed the Pringles can Peter was holding and snatched it out.

"I was eating that!" Peter protested. "And you wanted the cheese one!"

Harley ignored and took several pieces out of the container.

"Well, you kindly declined to get me, so I'm taking yours. Don't you know that sharing is caring, dear brother?" He said in a mocking tone. "And about that job thing, you had to quit regardless and I made it happen, so yeah, you should be thankful about that."

"And it's about dinner time anyway, so how about you stop eating that?"

Tony, who had been watching the back-and-forth swiftly took the Pringles out of Harley's hand.

"I shouldn't have to tell teenage boys not to eat snacks before meals, should I?"

Harley sent an offended look at him.

"Not fair! I just started on those," He said. "And you can't possibly think you can stop us from eating whatever we like whenever we want."

"We are growing teenagers, after all," Peter added. "We need all the food we can get to sustain ourselves."

"Says the one who rarely even finishes one full portion of every meal," Tony countered. "Pepper and Happy will be joining us for dinner, so you shouldn't think about stuffing your stomach with something else beforehand."

At that, Peter and Harley had no choice but to accept their fate.

"With that out of the way," Tony began as he put down the Pringles on the coffee table and sat down on the armchair next to the couch. The position of the furniture made him face Peter directly. "I need to have a word with you, Peter."

The sudden change in the tone, even though it was not quite big nor stark, made Peter nervous. He looked at Tony, trying to put down the mild anxiety that started to creep through his spine.

"We need to take you to Midtown for an exam next week," Tony said.

"Oh," was Peter's response as he let Tony's words sink in.

"Since it's a science-oriented school, they have their process of examining the students' capabilities when accepting them. You didn't go through that like the others, so if you are to transfer, you need to pass the exam," Tony explained.

"Uh... Okay," said Peter.

"Based on your knowledge, I don't think you'll have any problem," said Tony.

"Which means that it's probably your last chance if you want to bail out of going to the same school with me," Harley added with a smirk.

Peter gave a short snort but shrugs lightly. There was no reason for him not to go. It was his first and only choice when Tony offered to have him transferred to a science high school. Midtown School of Science and Technology was the local school that provided an advanced level of scientific education. It was the school Peter had wanted to go when he first learned about it in middle school but couldn't afford. It also happened to be one that Harley was now attending and one that was more on the public level than one of those overly prestigious, snooty private schools.

"Nah, I'll be there to keep your spoiled ass in check," Peter smugly talked back.

True to his words, he now is on the subway train with Harley, heading for Midtown High. As expected, Peter passed the exam with no significant difficulty and it was soon decided that he is to start his new semester there.

The trip doesn't take more than half an hour. It would be much shorter if they let Tony let Happy drive them off, but Peter insisted that he take the "ordinary" method to get to school on the first day. Harley agreed that it would be better for Peter to familiarize himself with how to get to school on his own. Moreover, despite how Peter often teases Harley to be "spoiled", the older Stark boy does not like to show off what he can have so easily and, most importantly, unnecessarily.

Once they get off the subway, it is not a long walk until they come face to face with the gate. As the two of them take a step forward and pass through the open gate, Peter cannot help the pang of nervousness shooting through his body. It seems like the closer he gets to the school building, the more speed his heart gains. He tries his best not to show the uneasiness on his face and tries to quietly swallow the feeling down. Harley must have sensed the tension, for he gives a short glimpse at him and smirks.

"Relax," he says. "You don't have to be anxious about it. It's just another school, you know."

Peter huffs.

"I'm not anxious," he shoots at Harley.

"Uh-huh."

The way Harley mockingly hums matches the expression on his face which clearly shows that he is not convinced. Peter wants to slap him on the arm but his muscles don't seem to be under his control. Maybe he is a little anxious, but he has absolutely no will to admit it openly.

Harley keeps a smug face as he gives Peter a brief introduction about each part of the school. By the time they have finally entered the main building, Harley is in the middle of talking about extracurricular activities.

"Chemistry lab, robotics lab, and astronomy club, too. If you ask your teachers, they'll give you specifics on how to join them and everything. Or if you're interested in the decathlon team and the robotics lab, I can let the teacher know in advance."

"Right," Peter responds. He tries his best not to bump into the numerous students in the hallway or be drifted away among the crowd.

"You remember the schedule, right? We're going to our homeroom first, then to your classes."

"Yes, Harley," Peter answers, exasperation lacing his voice. "I'm not entirely new to this, you know."

Harley scoffs and shrugs his shoulders.

"Just making sure. You seem very tense. Just relax. It's the first day of a new year for all of us, anyway."

Peter is about to return it with a comeback remark when someone stops the two of them with a wave of his arm.

"Hey, Harley," the boy says.

Peter turns his eyes to him and freezes. The other boy does the same, his eyes wide and his mouth gaping. Harley stops in the middle of greeting the boy and looks from one to the other.

"Peter Parker?" The boy blurts out in disbelief.

"Flash Thompson?" Peter does so, too.

Harley raises his eyebrows.

"What are you doing here?" Says Flash.

"I- I, uh, transferred here," Peter answers, stuttering from the unexpected surprise.

"Transferred?" Flash repeats with both disbelief and a smidge of sneer mixed in his voice. He looks like he is trying to contain himself before Harley, but his old habit doesn't die quite easily. He scans Peter top to bottom with his eyes before continuing. "I guess you've moved to another home, then? Seeing that you now can afford to come here."

The clear presence of jeer in his tone is easily caught by Harley, for he starts to frown a little. Peter licks his lips and lets out a short sigh.

"Yeah, well," he says. "Something like that."

Although it is not strictly a secret to be kept no matter what, Peter still has issues discussing it - he doesn't want to attract any kind of unnecessary attention.

"Well, good for you," Flash says. Unlike the words he is saying, the tone is highly cynical. "Although I'm not quite sure if you can really afford to attend here. Unless you want to bankrupt your foster parents. I hope your new home has the room to spare this much for you."

Peter almost rolls his eyes. Even after more than a year, Flash has not changed at all. Facing him in the new school, Peter feels like he is back in his middle school days. Flash had never truly intimidated or offended Peter, but the annoyance and irritation he caused used to tire him.

Thus, Peter decides not to further engage so that the little antic of Flash's is over soon as he usually did in the past. Harley, on the other hand, clearly has another idea.

"I was thinking of introducing him to you, Flash, but it seems like you guys already know each other," says Harley. And for some reason, Peter can hear the cold sarcasm that is so openly there. He is sure that Flash also can sense it.

Flash tries to school his expression as he casually (at least in his opinion) responds to Harley.

"Yeah, we went to the same middle school."

Harley takes a short side-glance at Peter before he answers.

"Well, he's my brother. He's attending Midtown from today."

The voice is so openly and exaggeratingly innocent that it feels more or less creepy - like it is sending a deadly warning underneath.

Flash blinks. Then his face turns into a slight frown.

"Wait, 'brother'?"

He then looks at Peter with his eyes widened once again.

Harley gives a lopsided grin that does not reach his cold eyes.

"Yeah. Peter Parker Stark."

There is an extra emphasis on the last word. Peter internally sighs. He wonders if it is a good idea to make it known on the first day of school. Then again, the fact that Harley and Peter are Tony's children is not strictly a secret to be kept at all costs. In fact, Harley has already been known as a Stark for a while, and if he was to introduce Peter as his brother - and Peter is quite sure that he will - everyone is bound to notice anyway. Plus, the dumb look of pure shock on Flash's face makes it seem worth it. So he decides to play along just for a little bit.

"You know, I'm still not quite used to it," he says to Harley, ignoring how Flash is staring at him.

Harley responds casually.

"You should be. That is your name."

"And you're going to introduce me to everyone like this, right?"

"Was there ever any doubt?"

Peter rolls his eyes.

Meanwhile, Flash seems like he has recovered from the initial shock. He shakes his head and points at Peter.

"You- you're- you're his-"

Peter looks at him with an eyebrow raised.

"You- you're- you're Stark?"

Flash stutters. It looks like he cannot speak properly.

"Yeah, well," Peter shrugs. "I guess I am. I just found out about it."

"So I hope you guys can play nice," Harley says. "You're always nice to me, right, Flash?"

There is an edge that is as sharp as a blade hidden in between his words, along with a warning glare that is set straight at the said boy.

Flash can only look at both Harley and Peter with wide eyes, unable to comprehend what is happening. Harley shows no mercy as he puts a hand on Peter's shoulder.

"Well, we gotta go. But I'll see you later at the decathlon practice," he says. Then, without giving him a chance to show any kind of reaction, he ushers Peter and walks away, distancing the two of them from Flash, who is rooted on the spot with his eye fixed on the two Stark kids.

"Let me guess. Bully, right?" Harley asks as he leads Peter through the crowd.

"Yeah," Peter answers. "I forgot about him coming here. He bragged about it when he was accepted here. He did so more in front of me. He knew that I wanted to come here."

Harley scoffs.

"Asshole. I always got the feeling that he's trying to suck up to me. Probably because of Dad, no doubt."

Peter nods.

"Yup. That's very likely."

"Well, the good thing is that he won't be able to treat you the way he did, now that you're a Stark yourself," Harley says smugly.

He has his arm around Peter's shoulders as he guides him to his homeroom. Only after reaching the destination does he let Peter go. Standing at the doorway, he gestures to Peter to go inside. Just then, he is interrupted by another boy.

"Hi, Harley," the boy says.

"Hey, Ned," Harley returns the greeting.

"What are you doing here? The sophomore classes are on the other side."

"Is this your homeroom?"

Ned nods his head. "Um-hmm."

Harley diverts his attention to Peter, who is quietly standing beside them.

"This is my brother, Peter," he says, gesturing with his hand at the said boy.

Ned looks at Peter and offers a smile and a wave of his hand.

"Hi," he says. "I'm Ned."

"Hey," Peter returns it.

"He's in this homeroom, too. So maybe you guys can have a chat and get to know each other," Harley says. "Peter might be joining us in the decathlon."

"Oh, really? Cool!" Ned says.

Peter turns to Harley.

"I haven't decided yet," he says. "And I can do all this by myself, thanks. I'm not a toddler that needs a babysitter or anything."

Harley waves him off.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm leaving now, you ungrateful ass," he says. He then looks at Ned and then Peter. "I'll see you later, then."

"Yeah, whatever, go away," Peter says dryly.

"Bye, Harley. See you!" Ned adds quite brightly. He then turns his attention to Peter. "You guys seem close."

"He just hovers a lot," Peter says. "You're going in right now, right?"

"Oh, right! Yeah," says Ned. He then enters the classroom, followed by Peter.

They choose their seats, sitting in a row back-to-back. As they put their respective backpacks and sit down, Ned gasps loudly and whips his head toward Peter.

"Wait, so if you're Harley's brother, then... Are you Stark, too?"

Peter awkwardly and shyly answers. He wasn't lying when he said he is not used to it yet.

"Yeah, well... I have that name."

Ned looks at him with awe-filled eyes.

"Awesome! That is so cool!"

It is pure and innocent excitement that is glowing all over him. Without a moment of hesitation, he begins to pour questions after questions. Peter is a little overwhelmed by the overly enthusiastic fanboy attitude of his, but his friendly personality has the effect of relaxing him a little bit.

And the new school just starts to seem better than expected.

* * *

**A/N: Always, thank you so much for reading my stories!**

**I had to stay away from this lovely community due to all my life getting in the way and only just saw all the comments and support you've been showing me. I'm so grateful for all the positive reactions and the advice you give.**

**I'll try to get back with more stories - this time, for sure.**

**Wherever you are, I hope you all stay safe and healthy!**

**Best, Lisa :)**

**P.S. (Just a small note that doesn't really affect the story that much) I've received the comment about this being in Complete Status even though it is in progress. I thought that since each of the chapters consists of stand-alone one-shot type stories, it could be marked as complete. But one of the readers made a point about the ongoing series should be categorized into Work in Progress, and I agree to it. So I've changed the status. **


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